In my past articles I have focused on factory decoy makers, specifically those with ties to Wisconsin. There has been interest in some of Wisconsin’s most well known and exceptionally skilled decoy carvers of the past. This article will focus on one of those carvers. August (Gus) Moak was born in Germany in 1852 and came to Wisconsin as an infant with his parents. He grew up in the small town of Tustin, on the shores of Lake Poygan in Winnebago Co. (Wisconsin), as a carpenter, boat builder, market hunter, trapper and all-around outdoorsman. He began carving in his early teens to serve his waterfowling needs on Lake Poygan and Lake Winnebago, a waterfowling hotbed at the time.
Gus Moak carved thousands of decoys in his time. Almost all of his decoys are made of hollow 
cedar and used bottom boards that were slightly convex. His heads were attached with screws from the bottom before the board was attached. While the majority of his decoys are canvasbacks, he also made bluebills, mallards, coots and Canada geese. His decoy bodies were typically a humpback design and the necks were long. Most, if not all, of his heads are distinctive in that there is a deep “V” carved, separating the bills from the forehead. Most have carved nostrils and mandibles. His decoys are also identified by his swirled breast painting and the illusion of wings with his paint. Moak used a long narrow strip of lead as his ballast weight attached to the bottom by two screws. Some of his decoys have been found to have “AM” stamped under the weight.
There is no doubt that the decoys made by August Moak are the most “prized” decoys from Wisconsin and are sought after throughout the U.S. August (Gus) Moak passed away in 1942!
From the quaint little village of Tustin on the north shore of Lake Poygan in Winnebago County, a German immigrant has left a legacy of hunting decoys that will last forever on the shelves of decoy collectors.
According to Warman’s Duck Decoys by Lewis (ca. 2006), Moak decoys are valued from $1000-$10,000 depending on species and 
condition. A Moak canvasback Drake was listed as sold at auction by Guyette & Deeter in 2017 for almost $10,000! I personally noticed a number of Moak decoys at the recent Oshkosh Decoy Collectors show (March 2018) that were moderately priced by collectors in the $500-$800 range. Remember, be sure to have any old decoy appraised by a reputable dealer or collector to determine its provenance and carver before purchase!